Computer networks are widely used to exchange information among computing devices. If there are problems along a path within the network (e.g., network problems, routing problems, congestion, etc.), then users of the network may experience problems accessing services provided by the network (e.g., service interruptions or slowdowns).
As networks grow, so does the need for network routing services to direct network traffic to the correct destination. In an organization that uses many individual Internet protocol (IP) addresses, routing can be difficult. For example, routing tables may grow too large to fit in the memory of the routers, which can lead to inefficient routing and the need to upgrade routing hardware. In some situations, individual routes can be combined into larger subnets. However, in other situations, individual routes cannot be combined, which puts more pressure on routing resources.